Spring Sakura
by angelraine
Summary: [SS Pairing, a bit OOC] What would happen if two very different people a stoic young archeologist and a kindhearted young princess were set up to be together? Would it create friction or love? Read and find out.
1. Set Up

**Spring Sakura**

**.::Chapter 1: Set Up::.**

_It was spring in the land of Clow. Patches of green could be seen all over the land, despite the sea of ecru all over the land. Flowers bloomed with great beauty around the palace gardens. Different shades and different kinds could be seen there but one seemed to be enchanted to a certain pink blossom growing from branches of a certain tree._

_This person was as pretty as the pink blossoms. Her auburn hair shimmered as rays touched it. Her emerald eyes glittered as she admitted such beauty around her. Her delicate features made the picture very heavenly._

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" A certain man with long bluish-black hair asked his beautiful young daughter. He approached her and embraced her. "I named you after that flower." He caressed a blossom with his hand. "This was your mother's favorite flower."_

_The girl looked at her father's serene face. She loved being hugged that way. Her father told her that he always hugged her mother like that. "Dad, will I ever fall in love?"_

_Her father suddenly loosed his embrace to look at her with amazement marked on his face. But he kept smiling at his daughter and asked her, "Why? Do you think you wouldn't fall in love?" _

_Her expression changed. Her smile turned into a small frown as she answered, "I don't know…" She paused for a moment, thinking of a perfect answer. Then, her expression turned back to normal and said, "I really hope I do because love is a very nice feeling, isn't it, Dad?"_

"_Yes, it is, Sakura."_

"Love, in the form in which it exists in society, is nothing but the exchange of two fantasies and the superficial contact of two bodies." Those were the words of Nicolas Chamfort, a French writer. This quotation could be stated as reality or as idealism for different people of different countries. But which would be better – the idea that love is a feeling shared by two bodies or the idea that love is just a fantasy which can never be a reality?

It was spring once again in the land of Clow. The wind was calm and tepid. The sky was blue and clear. It was a perfect spring day like any other. In a certain garden, a certain auburn haired princess sat on her favorite spot under the shade of her favorite tree. It was the tree that bore flowers which she was named after.

She sighed and closed her emerald eyes as she finished the book – a love story – that she was reading since that morning. It was a wonderful love story of a princess finally meeting her prince charming and living happily ever after. She hoped that she would finally have her happily ever after at her current sweet age of sixteen.

In the perfect spring day, a hazel haired boy was digging – digging for knowledge and new discoveries in the outskirts of the kingdom with wonderful people around him. At his age of sixteen, he had already been to different places and discovered new things and gained knowledge. His father was a famous archeologist who goes around their world searching for something that would help make their world a better place than it already was.

The hazel haired boy trusted facts of all things. He always believed in the ideals of the world around him. He was intelligent and wise, just like his father. He was brave and courageous, always ready to take up any type of challenge.

But one of the things he didn't believe was love. Why wouldn't he believe in such feeling? He felt it but never really shared it with someone special. He believed that love was just a word used to describe a short feeling of happiness with someone close to your heart.

"Syaoran," A caramel haired man called to his son. His eyeglasses were slipping off his nose as he waited for his son to approach him. Everything was already done. They already found the ruins they were looking for. This man, Fujitaka, wanted his son to be with him when they'll explore the ruins. They were always together during explorations and expeditions.

The boy he called came and gave his usual stoic smile. Sweat trickled down his face since he was under the sun since it rose. He was never tired but that's because this time, the discovery would mean a lot to the land. He wiped his forehead with his arm and asked his father, "Are we ready to go, Dad?"

"I'm ready when you are, son." He placed his arm around his son's shoulders. Both men laughed and walked toward the opening of the ruins.

That night, Fujitaka had to report to his royal highness, Touya. His majesty, the King of Clow, died so suddenly the year before so as the eldest child, Touya resumed the throne as the ruler of the land. Fujitaka asked his son for accompaniment inside the palace.

As they entered the castle, amazement filled Syaoran. It was his first time to enter the palace. Back then, Syaoran was always left studying the artifacts they found. But now, he was walking side by side his father as they entered the throne room.

The throne room was large. A series of chandeliers gave light to the large room. Pillars were made with care and showed such supremacy. The night sky was seen from the majestic windows on the left and right walls.

On the other end of the room, however, was not that much of a pretty sight. His Royal Highness was arguing with his younger sister, the princess. The raven haired king looked at her with complete boredom as she complained about being stuck inside the palace walls.

"But, Brother…" She showed him her innocent puppy dog eyes and reasoned out, "I won't be able to find love inside this castle."

"Love, eh?" Touya smirked at her. She rested her elbow on the left arm of the chair and cupped his face with his left hand. "Sakura, if Father knew about this, he'd have a fit."

"NO. He'd even allow me to get out of these walls to find it!" She added, "I remembered that he said love is a very nice feeling. I wanted to feel it like those princesses in books."

"Now, now, Squirt." He smirked again as he saw her irritated but cute face as the mention of his pet name for her. "Those stories are fictional… Not true. There's no such thing as a happily ever after."

Sakura was so irritated that she turned around and stomped her feet. Suddenly, she saw someone new. Behind the archeologist she knew as Mr. Fujitaka, there was a boy about her age. He had hazel hair and eyes. He gave this stoic look on his face until hazel met emerald.

Touya observed the scene from his seat. Suddenly, an interesting idea came into his mind. 'Ahh… I guess I know what I'll do now.' Touya stood up and said, "Dr. Fujitaka, welcome. I'm so sorry you had to watch the spat earlier. Come closer and start your report." He motioned them to come. Then, he looked at Sakura as he sat down again. "Sakura, sit down here." He patted the arm of the throne. Sakura nodded and ran up to the throne.

Fujitaka and Syaoran walked forward and knelt down to give recognition to the royal family. "Thank you for welcoming us, your Highness." He looked up at the prince. "Shall I begin my report?"

"Go ahead."

"We found that there was an old mansion built on the outskirts of the kingdom. It seems like it had been buried there for over a thousand years. We found ancient writings on walls and old artifacts that may be valuable to your family." Fujitaka looked down once again to show that his report has ended.

"I see…" Touya replied and looked at the archeologist's companion. "Doctor, who is your companion? I'd like to know about him… My sister seemed… interested." He lightly nudged his sister. Sakura, however, never felt so embarrassed in her entire life. She gave a shade of deep red as she saw the hazel haired boy looked up.

Fujitaka smiled and answered, "This is my adopted son, Syaoran. I've been teaching him to become an archeologist like me, sire. He's always with me during expeditions and explorations." He looked at his son, as if he expected him to answer. Then, he looked down again.

Touya smiled and stared at the boy called Syaoran. His plan was working according to what he had in his mind. "Your name is Syaoran, right?"

Syaoran looked up and answered, "Yes, Li Syaoran is my whole name, sire."

"Stand up." Touya commanded him so suddenly. His sister felt such anxiety because she didn't know what her brother had in his mind.

Immediately, Syaoran stood up and looked at what was left of the royal family. He still had his stoic face and stood straight. He hoped that his clothes weren't wrinkled and that he was presentable enough.

"Li Syaoran, I suppose you saw my little spat with Squirt here, right?" He, once again, nudged her with his elbow. She looked a bit irritated but kept her composure because they had guests.

"Yes, sire."

"I wanted you to be her escort around the palace so she wouldn't get any ideas of going out and finding whatever it is she was looking for there." Touya spoke as if it was normal to ask somebody to escort the princess which is a very important person in the land.

Sakura's face was redder than ever. She felt so embarrassed. "BROTHER!"

"Sire, as much as I don't want to say this, but I couldn't do it." Syaoran answered him directly. He showed his full respect to him and stayed calm. He didn't want to get arrested for reacting so rashly.

"Why couldn't you?" Touya was now excited. The game was on and all the cards are favorable to him. "Don't you like to stay in this magnificent place and relax all day long, keeping my sister company?"

Syaoran didn't have any second thoughts as he answered, "It is not that I don't like her royal highness but it's just that I have more important things to do than stay and chat with her all day."

Sakura kept telling herself to stay calm. She was always timid but that night, her blood kept boiling because of such embarrassment.

Fujitaka watched the scene and wished he could do something. He wanted to side with his son but he knew that there's nothing he could do to change the mind of the prince.

Touya smiled slyly. "Well, if you don't agree, I'd have to imprison your father." He was happy to be crowned prince and soon-to-be king. He loved the power and everything that came with his position.

Syaoran sighed and looked at his father. Of course, he didn't want the only person he cared for to be locked up in a cell because of his stubborn attitude so he answered, "I now agree to your command, your majesty."

Sakura looked at him with surprise. She just looked and felt something new surging inside of her. She wanted to hug and thank her brother but because of the embarrassment he caused her, she stopped herself.

Touya looked at her sister, then at Syaoran. "Come here tomorrow morning. I'll explain to you the conditions first thing in the morning. Go now." Touya stood up and uttered, "What a great start!" He walked away from the throne room.

Fujitaka stood up as Touya left the room. He patted his son's shoulder. His son froze to the spot where he was standing, looking at the floor. He smiled at him and said, "Let's go now." But Syaoran didn't move.

Sakura got up from the chair. She walked nearer and said, "You don't have to do it. I'll talk to my brother so you can go on with your life."

It was the first time that the princess spoke to them. Syaoran suddenly looked straight into her eyes and sparks started to fly. "I always keep my promises, your Highness. I shall be here tomorrow morning. Please do excuse us." Both men started to walk away.

Sakura wanted to say more but she didn't continue. She just sighed and stood there. She felt that the days would never be the same starting tomorrow morning. 'It's going to be a long day tomorrow.' She uttered to herself as she left the throne room as well.

Author's Notes:

At first, I didn't want to turn this into a long story. This was intended to be a one-shot SyaoSaku story but I felt that it was right to turn this into some sort of novelette.

To be honest, I felt that the last part – about the whole idea of setting them up sucked a bit. I was thinking that Syaoran would suddenly comment on the argument and sided with Touya. But then, I don't know what got into my brain and it turned into some sort of game.

I would also like to advertise my first English Tsubasa Fan Fic which is **"If Only You Were Here" **I really thank those who reviewed there and I really appreciate it.

Of course, I would like some reviews here as well. Tell me what you think

Go ahead and review but don't forget to check the 'Add Story to Story Alerts' so that you could easily know if I updated or not.

**Disclaimer: CLAMP owns the characters of Tsubasa Chronincles.**

**Good day!**


	2. If You Want To

**Spring Sakura**

A princess has to stay inside the palace walls at all times in order to be protected from harm. An archeologist has to stay outside any place with four walls in order to discover and learn new things. But fate played a different toll on them. What would happen if a stoic archeologist has to stay inside four walls because of a kindhearted princess who wanted to leave the palace walls to meet her true love? Would it create friction or love? Would they always be together? As seasons come and go, would the cherry blossom last the long winter she got herself into? Maybe she could end the long winter and change it into spring. Can she do it?

Chapter 2:

If You Want To

Before the sun's rays could ever greet his face, he was already wandering around the ruins. Probably, it was the last time he'd be doing it. Because of some princess, he would be confined inside a palace with her.

He didn't give any rejection to the idea. He was talking to the King of Clow. If he objected, it could cost him his life. He plainly sighed as he wandered some more before daylight wakes everybody else.

When daylight broke through her satin curtains, she slowly blinked until she opened her eyes widely. It was already morning, the morning she did and didn't want to come. She wanted it to come because finally, she'd be able to interact with someone other than the palace guards and staff. She didn't want it to come because she'd be imprisoning the person with her.

She knew she couldn't object because she knew her brother. When he says something, he wants it done no matter what. She knew her brother wanted her ultimate safety and happiness. But she didn't want to be locked inside four walls. She wanted to bask in the sun and air of the country. She wanted to be free.

Syaoran noticed that his father was awake. His father – adoptive father, to be exact – was a kind archeologist that taught him everything he knew in life. He loved his father so dearly for he treated him like his own son.

"Good morning, Dad!" Syaoran greeted the tall man with eyeglasses, standing near the ruins. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Fujitaka nodded. "It is indeed a fine day, son." He placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "You better hurry and report to the king. Don't make royalty wait." They looked at each other and laughed – just like old times – as if nothing was going to separate them.

"Dad, I'm sure the princess isn't awake until the sun rise." Syaoran looked at the horizon. "Besides, I wanted to watch this sunrise with you because it'll be a long time until I see another one with you again."

Fujitaka sighed and nodded in agreement. "Once we're done here, we'll leave this country – you and me. I'll convince the king that I need you there." Syaoran looked at his father. He couldn't be serious. What if the king won't approve? More 'what ifs' came to his mind.

"Better go now, Syaoran." Fujitaka told his son so he would stop thinking too hard. "The sun's here."

Syaoran nodded and started to walk away. But he suddenly stopped and ran back to hug his father. "I'll miss you, Dad."

Fujitaka was quite astonished by his son's affectionate action. His son was usually serious and stoic – a person who barely showed any emotion at all. He hugged his son back and whispered, "I'll miss you too, Syaoran. Good luck."

After they broke from their embrace, Syaoran was now embarking on a new adventure that he would never regret.

"Sakura-hime!" The maids were calling for her. All that was left on her room was her unmade bed and untouched breakfast. Her nightclothes were on top of her unmade bed. They were looking for the princess who seemed to have snuck out again.

"Sakura-hime!" They bellowed again, this time, with the assistance of the castle guards. Even the King, her brother, was fully aware that she's gone missing again. She loved sneaking out to see the city. Although it was embarrassing to be out there and caught over and over, still, she kept on doing it.

But this time, she didn't sneak out. She knew that her brother will be furious and might take back his word about her new companion. Even if she felt that it was wrong to do that to the boy, she wanted it badly.

The real question now was that where had she gone to? She was probably hungry because she didn't eat breakfast at all. So where was she?

The cherry blossom that everybody was looking for could be found standing in front of the three she was named after – recollecting her memories there. She stood there, looking at the beautiful blossoms. She sighed and lay down underneath the tree's shady branches, wishing that her father was still there. Her father would never lock her inside the palace. But due to his unwanted death, Sakura was needed to be protected no matter what.

As Syaoran walked toward the palace entrance, he saw that the place was really heavy-guarded. There were two guards on watch. There were four more guards, armed with swords, on post in front of the gate.

When he was in front of the palace entrance, it seemed that he was really expected. The guards automatically opened the gate and let him in. Much more to his surprise, His Majesty the King Touya was standing in front of the palace. He was as if he was searching for something or someone for that matter.

He walked a little bit faster and paid respects to the king. The king nodded and continued on his search without saying a word. Syaoran was curios about the situation so he slowly said, "Pardon me, your Majesty, what are you searching for?"

The king looked at him. Suddenly, a smile crept to the king's face. He answered, "Well, I'm looking for the person you'll be watching over, my only sister, Sakura. It seems that she sneaked out again. Maybe you could find her and then, bring her to me."

Syaoran nodded and started his search. However, he didn't know his way around the palace so he did just like any archeologist would do on a new place – explore. He entered the left side of the palace where a garden was to be found. There were varieties of flowers with different colors and sizes. There were a lot of bushes and trees but most of them where cherry blossoms.

He guessed that the last king loved cherry blossoms that he named his daughter after them. A few more minutes later, he found himself walking toward a tall, cherry blossom tree. Underneath the tree, there was a girl, about his age, resting. He slowly approached the person. He kneeled beside her and said, "Sakura-hime?"

Sakura, upon hearing her name, immediately sat up. "Ha-hai!" When she immediately sat up, she accidentally hit the boy's nose with her forehead. "Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry." The boy's nose wasn't broken; however, it was bleeding. "I'm really sorry." She apologized again as she wiped the blood of his nose with the use of her handkerchief.

"No, I'm okay. It's okay, Sakura-hime." But actually, it hurt – a lot. He didn't want the princess to worry. Besides, it was his fault for suddenly calling her out of the blue.

Suddenly, someone emerged from the same path Syaoran used to get there. It was the king. "I'm glad you found her…" But then, he noticed the situation. "What happened here?"

Syaoran stood up, holding his nose. He let go of his nose as he answered, "Sorry, your Majesty. I startled the princess so she accidentally hit me with her forehead."

King Touya laughed. "Ha! Ha! Ha! I know Squirt's forehead was hard. I never really thought that it was that hard to break someone's nose." It was cruel and embarrassing for both of them. The king was laughing at his broken nose and at her hard forehead. A few seconds later, he stopped laughing and regained his composure. "So, Squir – no, Sakura, here's your new guardian and companion, Syaoran. He's the archeologist that came to the palace yesterday, if you could still remember. He agreed to this to be nice. Don't you go off anywhere or he'll be sorry." He looked at Syaoran and said, "Syaoran, you're some sort of her bodyguard now. I know you're not really trained for this but I ask you to protect her and make sure she's safe from any harm possible. If she's harmed in any way," He said his last words with complete conviction, "you'll never see daylight again." With those last words, he walked away from the garden.

Sakura stood up slowly. It was unfair. She knew it wasn't right to punish him for her escapades. She now, felt really-really sorry for him.

Syaoran was cool with the situation. He didn't show any reaction to what His Majesty just said. He took this job and he'll do it well for his sake.

"So…" Sakura wanted to start a conversation with the boy but it seems that the boy was too concentrated with his own thoughts. "You're Syaoran, right?" Syaoran looked at her. He didn't even bother smiling at her as he nodded. Sakura continued, "Can we be friends?"

"If you want to, your Highness." Those words were said with no emotion. Those words cut deep into Sakura. She seemed a bit insulted because he was treating her like a princess. But then, it was because she is a princess.

She merely sighed. "I wish you would cut that royalty crap." It was unlike her to say such word. Royalty were supposed to be prim and proper but the word 'crap' didn't really seem to fit her personality at all.

"If you want to, your Highness." Again, those words were said with no emotion. He was looking at her without emotion – as if everything was nothing and nothing mattered at all.

"You're doing it again!" Sakura was now frustrated. It was just the first day of their companionship and he was annoying her like that. "Will you really just cut it out?"

"If you –" Syaoran was cut off by a frustrated scream from Sakura.

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed, "You're really… really… bad." The frustrated princess started to walk away. Suddenly, she looked back and saw that he was following her like a shadow. "You're so… so… stupid." She stomped her feet and walked away. And still, he followed her.

**Author's Notes:**

Now, you're probably saying, "Finally, she updated!" I'm really sorry about it. I was already in the middle of writing chapter two when my computer crashed last December. All my files were lost so I had to start over again. Due to my final exams – that if I didn't study, I won't get out of high school, I had to stop writing for a while. I had the whole story running in my head. Oh, just wait and see the twists and turns, you'll totally love it!

Now, I added a new feature to this story, I'll always place the whole summary before the chapter. No reason. I just felt like doing it. Hehe.

So, I hope you guys will review. Really. I look forward to it.

Again, I'm sorry for the late update. I can not promise to update soon but like I said, I got the story running in my head. Just give me time to find the words to write them.

So… Ja ne! Till next time!

**Standard Disclaimer Applies.**

-angelraine-


	3. Another Collision

**Spring Sakura**

A princess has to stay inside the palace walls at all times in order to be protected from harm. An archeologist has to stay outside any place with four walls in order to discover and learn new things. But fate played a different toll on them. What would happen if a stoic archeologist has to stay inside four walls because of a kindhearted princess who wanted to leave the palace walls to meet her true love? Would it create friction or love? Would they always be together? As seasons come and go, would the cherry blossom last the long winter she got herself into? Maybe she could end the long winter and change it into spring. Can she do it?

Chapter 3:

Another Collision

She's irritated. He's stoic. She's mad. He's apathetic. There were a lot of differences between the both of them. In general, she's a girl and he's a boy. She's a princess. He's an archeologist. She's rich. He's not so poor. She's everyone's favorite. He's the guy not everybody knows. She's royalty. He's not. Her nose was perfectly fine. His nose wasn't.

They got off the wrong foot by making his nose bleed. The situation got worse when the king gave his instructions. And they got into their petty fight just because he was respecting her like everybody else does.

But then, these two very different people were together inside the palace library, staring at each other. The princess stared at him with fury while he stared back with a blank expression on his face. The princess knew he was just doing his job. The archeologist knew she was just mad and there's nothing he can do about it. Or could he?

Syaoran stood up, breaking the staring contest. He walked toward the bookshelves and looked for a good book. Sakura looked at him. She sighed and approached him. She knew she had to do something about their silent situation. "Uhm… I'm really sorry for earlier."

"Which part are you sorry for, your Majesty?" Syaoran kept flipping through the book called 'Excavations' written by his adoptive father, Fujitaka Kinomoto. "Is it for almost breaking my nose or for acting like a brat?"

Sakura was insulted. Of course, what he said was true. She was indeed acting like a brat. No one dared to say that except the king himself. Somehow, Sakura took that as a joke. But when Syaoran said it, it didn't seem like a joke at all. "You're… you're… mean!" She made a fuss and sat down on her chair again.

"You're acting like a brat again, your Majesty." Syaoran placed the book back and looked through another one called 'Dealing with Royalty' by an anonymous author.

Sakura answered back, "And you're acting like an arrogant bastard, you know." Actually, she just wanted him to treat her like a friend and there he was, treating her like royalty. And that really angered Sakura.

Syaoran was never called an arrogant bastard. He shut his book noisily as he responded, "I'm just being respectful to the princess of this country." He placed the book back with outmost care. After all, it belonged to the royal family.

Upon hearing his answer, she was more insulted than ever. "Well, this princess orders you not to be respectful to her." Sakura watched his next move.

Syaoran smiled slyly and sniggered for a second when he heard her say that. 'Two can play this game.' He thought. He knew he was watching her intently. So he planned to surprise her.

A second passed by and now, he was standing right in front of her. Their faces were only an inch apart. Both of them could feel the warm breath of the other. Her eyes were panicking. His eyes were laughing at her. She didn't know what he'll do next. He exactly knew what he was doing.

Syaoran saw how scared she was. He saw it in her eyes. Then, a second later, he was laughing loudly. "Bwahahahaha!" He kept on laughing and laughing as he saw more confusion in her face. "You certainly fell for it."

Sakura was indeed more confused. This situation was far more confusing than any situation she had been. "What's the matter with you?" She immediately asked him. "Do you know that's total disrespect to tease me?"

"Didn't you just tell me not to respect you?" Syaoran kept on laughing at her. But, then he stopped when he saw tears welling up in her eyes. Sakura's emerald orbs were glistening with tears. She stood up and ran, covering her face.

"Your Majesty!" Syaoran called her. It appeared that she didn't hear him because she ran farther and farther away from the palace library. He knew what he did was wrong and according to his father, "If you knew what you did is wrong, it is proper to apologize."

And Syaoran knew it was the right thing to do. So he set forth a search for the princess in the large palace.

The princess never felt more embarrassed than that moment. He was making fun of her. All she wanted was to have him as her friend – someone who would treat her as an equal, not as the princess of the Clow Country.

She ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was actually going. She looked for some sort of sanctuary somewhere in the palace. But then, it occurred to her that her sanctuary didn't have to be necessarily inside the palace. She went outside and knew of the perfect place where she can cry her heart out in peace.

There was a place in the palace only the Royal Children – Touya and Sakura – knew. In the garden, there was a hidden place – a sanctuary where the deceased Queen of Clow loved to hide when she was feeling sad or angry. The deceased King himself didn't know about that place.

The princess thought it was a great idea. She kept on running until she saw the hedge that hid the secret door. She slowly placed her hand through the hedge to look for the door's handle. As soon as she felt the long, hard metal handle, she pushed the door with all her might and went right through the hedge and into the Queen's garden.

The garden was simple. Various flowers could be found growing in it. In the middle of the whole garden was a large cherry blossom tree. On its branch, an old wooden swing was connected with the use of thick ropes.

Sakura slowly walked toward the swing and sat on it. She placed her feet on the swing since it was big enough to hold two people. She closed her eyes and placed her head on top of her knees. And there, she softly cried from the insults.

Syaoran wandered around the palace, searching for the cherry blossom he was to protect and guard. He knew it wasn't his job to guard the princess in the first place. He was an archeologist that should be in excavation sites, finding new discoveries for the country. But then, he felt responsible for taking the joke too far. So now, he kept on looking for the princess.

Then, Syaoran saw a girl with auburn brown hair running toward the open door. He immediately recognized the clothes the girl wore and realized that she was the girl he was looking for. He decided to follow her discreetly for now. He didn't want her to think that he was following her.

He watched her intently. She saw her place her hand through a hedge and it also seemed like she was looking for something. A few seconds later, she went through the hedge. Of course, he was surprised to see that she knew of such place in the palace.

He was thinking of following her but then, he backed out on the idea. It was his way to respect her. She hid herself there so she wanted to be alone. In so doing, he approached the hedge silently. He decided to wait for her to go out of that place even if it takes him until nightfall. He wasn't going anywhere anyway. He's not going out of the palace since he was now a prisoner of the princess.

The skies were turning into a comforting hue of orange and purple. The sun was already setting and still, the princess didn't leave the other side of the hedge. Syaoran was still there, sitting on the other side of the hedge, waiting for the princess to show up.

And then, he could hear some of the maids and guards. "Sakura-hime!" They said. Their voices echoed inside the palace and then, he heard the same voices calling from the outside.

Syaoran knew he'd be in trouble if they told the King that the princess was gone. He was about to go through the hedge when suddenly, the princess came out from the other side. They collided with each other and it was a funny sight. No blood was spilled. But then, both of them could feel blood racing through their veins. Their faces were red with embarrassment.

He was lying on his back. His hands were on her shoulders, before she could even crash her body over his. Unfortunately for her, she was above him. Her hands tried to support herself before their bodies could really collide. She silently thanked her lucky stars that he had the reflexes to even think of stopping her.

Their eyes locked. Glittering emerald met solid sienna. It was as if time stopped when their eyes met. The glittering emerald orbs of the young princess were searching for some reaction from his eyes. But those solid sienna orbs of the stoic archeologist were too surprised to even give a reaction.

A few seconds passed. The idea of the almost collision finally sank into their brains. The princess got up as fast as she could and turned away from his gaze. She knew she was sort of heavy from eating a lot of sweets from time to time. She could also feel his hands shaking from her shoulders.

The archeologist got up as soon as she did. He saw her turn away. He felt the need to break the cold silence from the both of them. He didn't know how to begin. He still couldn't shake off the feeling of embarrassment from staring at her eyes for so long. But there was also something else, something he didn't feel before.

The moment of silence continued. It was killing both of them. They knew they had to say something. But suddenly, the silence was cut off by the maids' voices, calling for her. "Sakura-hime! Sakura-hime!"

Upon hearing her name once more, she slowly stood up and brushed off the dirt on her clothes. He stood up as well, doing the same thing. Both of them looked at each other and then, she looked away first.

"I'm sorry for teasing you, your Majesty." Syaoran said that as he bowed in front of her. He knew that it was really right to do so. He knew it was about time too.

Sakura shook her hand. "No. I should be sorry. I mean, I sorta… challenged you into that." Sakura stared at the grass. "I just wanted you to treat me like an equal, not as the princess." Then, she looked at him once more. "I wanted you to be my friend." Those last words were said with complete sincerity. She really did want him to be her friend.

Syaoran looked and listened. Then, he felt a smile appear on his face. "I knew we started in a painful way. So let's be friends." Both of them smiled at each other. Then, he suddenly continued. "And forget that you almost broke my nose with your forehead and that you almost broke my arms with your heavy body." He laughed and made a run for it.

Sakura was happy that they already made peace but when he heard the last sentence, she got mad once more. But this was the friendly, one second type of mad. She laughed and said, "Hey… I said I was sorry!" Then, she ran after her new friend.

The stoic archeologist felt that he was young again, that for one moment, he forgot to be serious about this duty of his and played along with her. The young princess felt that her dull existence in the palace was finally getting color as she ran after him. Could this be the start of a new friendship or maybe something a little bit more than that?

**Author's Note:**

Ta-da! I present to you **Chapter 3: Another Collision** of Spring Sakura.

I'd like to thank again those who reviewed for Chapter 2:  
**Neko Newee** and **ButtonPinCollector**.

And since I updated earlier, I'd love to have more reviews! (Review hungry author here. Bwahahaha!) I'd update even earlier if I'd get reviews for this chapter as much as I got in Chapter 1.

The collision in this chapter is somewhat similar to the one that happened in the Tsubasa series. I think it was on episode one when Sakura came barging in Syaoran's home when he got back. Then, she jumped from the door and hugged him. Something like that. Ehehe.

So please do review so I get inspired to write more for this story.

**Standard Disclaimer Apply.**


	4. My Soon to Be Sister in Law

**Spring Sakura**

A princess has to stay inside the palace walls at all times in order to be protected from harm. An archeologist has to stay outside any place with four walls in order to discover and learn new things. But fate played a different toll on them. What would happen if a stoic archeologist has to stay inside four walls because of a kindhearted princess who wanted to leave the palace walls to meet her true love? Would it create friction or love? Would they always be together? As seasons come and go, would the cherry blossom last the long winter she got herself into? Maybe she could end the long winter and change it into spring. Can she do it?

Chapter 4:

My Soon-to-Be Sister-in-Law

------

Even if the two very different people considered each other as friends, the stoic archeologist remained as he was – stoic and expressionless. To make sure that the young princess didn't notice his expressionless face, he imitated her expressions and emotions. He laughed when she laughed. He frowned when she frowned. He smiled when she smiled. He just… followed her actions as if it was a game of Follow-the-Leader.

This did bother the young princess. She was a bit glad that they were friends but then again, she hoped something a little bit more than what he was showing her. She would love for him to tell her stories of his past because her past was well-known and one could just simply buy her autobiography from the bookstores in the country. She would love for him to do something else other than follow her around and listen to her talk.

The King observed them for the past few days. He believed that things would get better for his sister and that archeologist. Surely, he would love to see her sister fuss about a boy for once. But then, any foul play in his palace surely would cause the boy's death.

The King, Touya-sama, had been sitting on the throne since their father died. He was happy to be the in his father's place and hoping that one day, he'll be as great – no, greater than his father. However, there was a certain subject matter that he never loved attending – seeking for his wife.

He had been attending endless royal and high-society parties for the past few months. Lately, he had been skipping those parties, saying that he should "watch over" his sister and her "new friend". But his time was almost over. It was written in their laws that the rightful heir should be married before any one of the heirs could become the rightful ruler of the Country of Clow.

The High Priest Yukito had been also busy searching for the King's wife. He had been in contact magically with the mages and high priests of the nearby countries. After many days and nights of endless talk and negotiations, he finally found a match.

There was one country, the Kingdom of Nihon, who was also seeking for a husband for the princess. The country's princess could never be queen without a husband. She could easily find one with her pretty face and charms. However, she wasn't allowed to get out of her country for she was the one who holds the power to protect the country. Without her, instant destruction awaits the country.

Due to High Priest Yukito's help, Nihon's High Priest was able to make a power source that would take place of the princess in her absence. The princess found out about that. In so doing, she asked permission head out to the Country of Clow to meet Yukito in order to thank him personally for giving her a chance of freedom.

"I shall personally welcome you from the palace entrance." Yukito said through the magical looking glass he used to communicate to the other mages and high priest. "I'll look forward to your visit, Tomoyo-hime."

------

The princess of the Clow Country woke up from her sweet slumber and did her usual morning rituals. She pulled the chord that was used to wake up her friend. As soon as she rung the bell, a light knock was heard from the door. She smiled and joyfully opened the door. Sadly, it wasn't him. It was her lady-in-waiting.

"Sakura-hime," She bowed and stood straight again. "This is your new dress. You are obligated to wear it as you and Touya-sama welcome the princess of Nihon." Her lady-in-waiting was a girl, about her age. She acted prim and proper outside her mistress' room. But as soon as she gets in, she and the princess talked like normal friends.

"So, Rika," Sakura asked her lady-in-waiting, "What's the princess of Nihon like?" Sakura stood on the small stool in order for Rika to help her dress. She removed her robe and let Rika fix her up.

Rika slipped on a long pink skirt on Sakura. "According to rumors, she's Tomoyo-hime." Then, she let the princess wore the sleeveless pink top sewn with silver sequins. "She was the fifth generation of the Daidouji clan of Nihon." Finally, she let her wear the cape that goes with the dress. "No one exactly knew her. She's never been out of Nihon until now. That's all I've heard." Rika placed a pair of flat shoes studded with silver beads in front of the princess.

"She must've been lonely in Nihon." She stepped down from the stool and wore the shoes. She turned around and looked at Rika who placed a small tiara on the princess' head. "So I better give her a warm welcome." Rika smiled and gave her a nod as she led her out of the room. As she got out of her room, the stoic archeologist bowed as he greeted her a good morning. She smiled at him and said, "Ohayou, Syaoran."

Both Syaoran and Rika followed the princess to the throne room where the royal family would greet the visiting princess. Rika and Syaoran stopped walking as Sakura entered the room. There, they would wait for the cherry blossom to go out.

------

The throne room was the place where they usually set up the parties and balls. On one end of the room, two large oak doors were the main entrance and exit of the room. On the other end, there stood one majestic throne made of wood and covered with blue cushions just like the King wanted it.

The King was already there when his sister, Sakura, entered the throne room through the door near the throne. It was used only by the royal family of the Clow Country. When Sakura entered, she immediately saw the worried expression on the King's face.

Sakura, being the kind sister that she is, approached him silently. She stood behind him and asked without further ado, "What's the matter, Onii-sama? You look kind of worried."

Touya, however, was surprised. He stood up and looked behind him. His expression was priceless. It was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "Don't. Ever. Surprise. Me. Like. That." He immediately sat down again and massaged his temples.

Sakura sat on one of the arms of the throne and said, "Gomenasai, Onii-sama. I just wanted to know what was bothering you." Of course, she really didn't mean to surprise him. She knew that he gets angry when surprised.

"Oh, you'll know what's bothering me soon enough." Touya made that remark precisely before the trumpets blew and the majestic doors opened to reveal a beautiful girl, about Sakura's age. She had long, purple hair that looked straight from her head and ended in soft wavy curls. She had deep purple eyes that glittered with the sun's rays. Her skin was like the finest porcelain. Her smile was of an angel's.

Beside the visiting princess was Yukito, escorting her to meet the royal family. Behind her was a man with deep blood-red eyes and spiky black hair. He had an angry frown on his face and observed the surroundings. He wore a black coat over his clothes which hid his katana.

As soon as they were about six feet away from the throne, Yukito bowed to pay respect to the royal family. "Touya-sama, King of Clow, and Sakura-hime, princess of Clow, I present to you Daidouji Tomoyo-hime, princess of Nihon." His hand gestured toward the princess who bowed as well.

"It's such an honor to meet Clow's royal family." The princess immediately stood straight. "I am Tomoyo-hime and this is my guardian, Kurogane." The tall man knelt as so show his respect to the royal family.

"Touya-sama," Yukito started to say, "I already spoke of the treaty I told you about last night. And I'm happy to say that Tomoyo-hime agreed and accepts your hand in marriage." Yukito looked at his king's reaction and it wasn't really the greatest reaction he ever gave. However, Tomoyo only smiled at him and nodded. "I believe that this union is called for in order to unite not only two lives, but two kingdoms as well. It's up to the both of you to which country will be named after the other."

Sakura felt that the tensions rising. Now, she knew what was bothering her brother. She knew that her brother had peculiar tastes in women. And somehow, Tomoyo didn't really appeal to his tastes. The princess looked from the King to the visiting princess. Then, she said, "So she's going to be my sister-in-law." All of them looked at her. Sakura smiled and stepped down from the throne and held Tomoyo's hand. "I'm so happy. I'm going to have a sister now. I always wanted one."

Tomoyo answered, "I'm also glad that I'll be having a sister as well." Both of them just smiled at each other for a few seconds.

"Sakura-hime," Yukito caught her attention. "Why don't you show Tomoyo-hime around? I'm sure she'd love a private tour of the palace." It was a perfect idea. Maybe Sakura could convince the King that Tomoyo was suitable for him.

------

Sakura led Tomoyo out of the throne room and immediately showed her the dining hall, the library, and a few more rooms that showed some of Clow Country's colorful history. During those tours, two men followed them. Both had the same personality – stoic and expressionless.

Syaoran just followed the Clow's princess silently and observed the visiting princess' companion. He knew from the beginning that this man had dark past wand wanted to be left alone. He knew that one day, they'll talk and learn many things from each other.

As soon as they reached the garden, Sakura turned around and faced her friend the archeologist. "Syao-ran!" She said cheerfully. "Please do keep Kurogane company." Syaoran nodded and didn't have the chance to reply because the two princesses already walked away from them.

Syaoran looked at his new companion. The man was still the same. He seemed to worry a lot for the princess of Nihon. Then, he closed his eyes and looked for a place to rest. He eyed on the small boulder and immediately walked there. He slowly removed his katana and sat down.

Syaoran stared at his katana. It was a long and its sheath was black. The handle of the katana was in a shape of a dragon. Syaoran was so impressed that it was obvious to the owner. His deep blood-red eyes observed the archeologist's every movement.

"This katana was my father's." The man started to talk. "It was blessed by my mother who was a priestess like the princess." He stood up and showed him the katana out of its sheath. "You like it?"

Syaoran nodded. He walked toward the man and looked closer at the blade. "That's a pretty sharp blade."

"Yep." The man surprisingly smiled smugly. "It killed a lot of the beasts that attacked Nihon." He motioned the archeologist to step aside as he swung his blade forward and backward. Then, he slowly placed it back on its sheath. "Kurogane. You?" He extended his hand for Syaoran to shake.

Syaoran shook his hand and smiled at him. "Syaoran." Both of them knew that, as they shook hands, his was the start of a new friendship.

------

The young princess of Clow showed the marvels of the palace gardens. The visiting princess of Nihon was amazed by the beautiful flowers and trees. But what amazed her most was the cherry blossom tree.

"What a magnificent tree!" Tomoyo looked up at the beautiful cherry blossom flowers. "We also have these trees back at Nihon." She looked around and knelt to smell some of the roses growing beside the tree.

Sakura watched her every move. She felt that Tomoyo was having a good time. But, Sakura could see sadness from her eyes. So she just had to ask, "Tomoyo-hime, are you really happy with the idea of marrying my brother?"

Tomoyo immediately stood up and approached Sakura. She held Sakura's hand and said, "I am truly honored with this arrangement. Finally, I can rule Nihon with someone by my side. I couldn't rule it alone, Sakura." She closed her eyes and said, "I know that love doesn't even exist on this engagement but I hope and I pray that one day, it would bloom from both your brother and I."

Sakura frowned for she pitied both her brother and the princess. They deserved to find true love and be happy with that person. Tomoyo let go and walked toward the flowerbeds. Sakura followed her and sighed. "I hope I'm not crossing the line or anything, Tomoyo-hime..." She paused for a bit and Tomoyo looked at her. "I was wondering if we could be friends."

As soon as she stood up, Tomoyo smiled at her and answered, "We're already friends... And I'm sure we're going to be the best of friends." Both girls giggled and continued on their walk.

------

**Author's Note:**

I am fairly disappointed. I updated earlier this time and only one person – let me repeat, ONE PERSON – reviewed Chapter 3. I thought that if I updated earlier, maybe I'd get more reviews but then, look. I didn't update for months and I got six. I updated after a few days, and I got only one review. I am very-very sad.

This chapter is for the sole reviewer of Chapter 3, **ButtonPinCollector**. She reviewed all of the chapters and I think it's just right that this chapter is dedicated to her. She's the only reason why I uploaded Chapter 4 of Spring Sakura.

**I will still update this story no matter how many reviews**. But then, it would be better if I post this and get reviews for it. At least, I know that people really want to read my story and I'd get more initiative to write.

**Standard Disclaimer Apply.**


	5. GDFBABOSWATOC

**Spring Sakura**

Another kindhearted princess enters the picture and she's going to be betrothed princess for the King of Clow. The King, however, showed that he disliked the idea of the arranged marriage. Both parties needed someone and which country would prevail if the marriage did push through? Will the Clow Country expand its borders or will Nihon become a bigger kingdom under the rule of the monarchy?

Chapter 5:

Gyoza Dumplings Followed by a Bottle of Sake with a Ton of Chocolate

------

Upon the arrival of the visiting princess, everybody in the country was celebrating. It was due to the fact that there would be a long list of celebrations and royal guests that would be held inside the palace. With that fact, the sales in the country definitely will rise because of the demands of the palace.

But that's not the only reason why the people of Clow were celebrating. They already had the speculation that the visiting princess would become the new Queen of Clow. The people felt that the King needed someone by his side and they believed the visiting princess fit the role perfectly.

However, the King wasn't really up for the idea of his engagement and the upcoming union. When he was a small boy, he had a picture of the perfect woman in his mind. She'd have the same deep blue orbs as his mother had. The kindest smile of that woman would melt his heart. He didn't care if this woman was royalty or not but he wanted to find that woman.

The royal family of the Clow Country held a private celebration for the arrival of Tomoyo-hime. The celebration was held in the formal dining room of the palace. Originally, there was only supposed to be four people in that celebration. However, the princess of Clow requested for her friend, the archeologist, to be able to join them for this dinner. The King was a bit against it but the High Priest convinced him that it'll be alright. The visiting princess also requested for her bodyguard to join them as well. In so doing, the dinner was composed of six people: the King, the visiting princess, the princess of Clow, the archeologist, the body guard, and of course, the High Priest.

The dinner was composed of several dishes from the Nihon Kingdom were served. Compliments were made here and there for this and that dish. Of course, all compliments were received by Tomoyo-hime's chef.

"Tomoyo-hime," the princess of Clow asked, "What do you call this dish?" She pointed to the dish with the cold noodles about as thick as what the Jade Country called spaghetti. "It looks like the spaghetti I had during the celebration in Jade."

The visiting princess, of course, had no idea what spaghetti was. It wasn't served in her country. But still, she answered, "Those are native Japanese noodles called soba topped with tsuyu. Tsuyu is a soya based dipping sauce. Soba is my favorite dish."

The princess nodded in amazement and ate her soba dish. The archeologist, who was beside the princess, wasn't as enthusiastic as her because he had eaten soba before. He was enjoying the Yakizakana served in front of him.

The princess looked at the archeologist eating some sort of grilled fish. "What is that, Syaoran-kun?" She pointed at the fish.

The archeologist stopped eating and answered in a normal voice, "It is yakizakana, your highness. Yakizakana is grilled fish." The fish was small and grilled nicely. Syaoran sliced his fish and gave it to the princess. "Taste it."

Sakura smiled by his gesture and tasted the fish. It was like nothing she ever tasted before. She was highly convinced that the yakizakana was one of the best dishes that night.

The High Priest Yukito was indulging himself with the Gyoza dumplings. "These Gyoza dumplings are wonderful." He remarked and looked at the King. "You must try some, your majesty."

Touya looked at the fried dumpling with a little bit of disgust in his face. "What is in that… that… thing?"

"Gyoza are dumplings with a filling usually made of minced vegetables and ground meat." Tomoyo looked at him and the King looked back. Then, Touya stared at the Gyoza and took one of them with the use of his fork. All of them stopped to see his reaction.

Touya closed his eyes as he chewed the Gyoza dumpling inside his mouth. When he opened his eyes, he didn't realize that five pairs of eyes were watching his reaction. The King merely sighed and ate more Gyoza.

The visiting princess sighed to herself and kept on eating another of her favorite dish, sushi. Beside her was her loyal guard, Kurogane, who was eating some agedashi tofu. He was silent the whole duration of the dinner.

"Tomoyo-sama," The high priest Yukito asked, "How is Amaterasu-sama? I heard that she is doing well now." Amaterasu was the current Empress of Nihon. However, Amaterasu was easily struck with illnesses.

_One night, Amaterasu was in her deathbed as she liked to call it. Her black hair spread over the bed and her pale face was illuminated with the moon's light. She had the strong power of the sun but she was usually weak to support the kingdom's barriers. In so doing, Tomoyo had the job of strengthening the barrier._

_That same night, Amaterasu called for her sister. Tomoyo obliged and went in quickly. She knelt beside her sister and held her pale, cold hand. "Amaterasu-nee-sama, you called for me."_

_Amaterasu opened her black orbs slowly and smiled at her only sister. "Tomoyo-chan," She said weakly, "I'm sorry for troubling you like this. If I wasn't this weak…" She coughed roughly. Tomoyo held on to her sister's hand tighter. Amaterasu continued, "If I wasn't this weak, you could've enjoyed your life in freedom. Because I'm weak, you couldn't leave this country… I'm sorry."_

_Tomoyo was at the verge of tears. She never thought of her duty to protect Nihon as a burden. It was her duty and even if it was supposed to be both of them protecting Nihon with the powers of the Sun and the Moon, she didn't care. All she cared about was the welfare of her sister and the kingdom._

"_Tomoyo-chan, if this is the end, you'll become Empress of Nihon. You need someone to rule by your side…" Amaterasu coughed harder. Then, she took in a deep breath and continued, "Unlike me, who overlooked that obligation, is now being punished by the gods. Please, sister, leave this place in search of that person. The high priests can take care of this country. I can still protect this country. My powers are still here."_

_Tomoyo was silent the whole time. She listened intently at Amaterasu but when she heard her say that, she objected. "No. I will not leave Nihon. It will crumble if I do."_

"_I heard that the High Priests were in connivance with the Clow's High Priest. With their help, our High Priests have developed some sort of barrier for our country so that the country could stand on its own for the first time." Amaterasu sat up and said, "As Empress of Nihon, Amaterasu-sama orders you to leave Nihon. Go anywhere you want. Just go!" She pointed at the door._

_Tomoyo bowed. "I shall obey the Empress of Nihon." She stood up and left the kingdom a few days later._

Tomoyo smiled at him and said, "I'm glad to hear that." That was all she said. And then, it was Touya's turn to interrogate her.

"So I heard you're some sort of sorceress or something." Touya looked at her suspiciously. "I'm sure you use that craft of yours for good, right? I don't suppose that a princess as kind as you would use it to harm others. But then, maybe you already used it upon us."

The princess was speechless. She looked at her plate and stopped eating. Kurogane knew that the princess was insulted. He stood up angrily and spoke. "Don't insult the princess. This may be your palace but you have no right to insult Tomoyo-hime." All eyes fell on Kurogane. Tomoyo held on his arm, trying to pull him down as she whispered that she was alright.

Touya stood up and said, "How impudent of you to scream at the King of Clow." He turned back and said, "Yukito, I'm tired. I'm going to my chambers now and I don't want to be disturbed by anyone." He walked out of the dining hall.

Sakura just looked at her brother's retreat. Then, she looked at the princess. Slowly she stood up and approached Tomoyo. She bowed in front of her. "I'm apologizing for Touya-nii-sama's actions. I'm sure he didn't mean it, Tomoyo-hime."

Kurogane calmed down and sat down on his seat. It was Tomoyo's turn to stand up and raised Sakura's chin. They looked at each other until Tomoyo spoke, "Don't be bothered, Sakura-hime. Please, let us finish our dinner."

Sakura smiled and went back to her seat. All of them continued eating. There were lively conversations among the royalty and the high priest. And then, when dinner ended, it was dessert that followed.

The dessert was Clow Country's specialty. It was chocolate. The dessert they served was chocolate carved in many shapes. Tomoyo got the beautiful chocolate version of a house. Kurogane got the chocolate shaped like a horse. Sakura got her favorite of course – a chocolate model of a cherry blossom flower. Syaoran got the chocolate that looked like a hill. Yukito got the one shaped like the crescent moon that shone over them.

Suddenly, Tomoyo smiled and asked for a bottle. One of the servants brought in a bottle. "This is sake. I believe we are all of age to drink such liquor." All of them nodded. Yukito was a bit worried because the princess didn't know that she wasn't allowed to drink any liquor. But he knew it would be a wonderful experience for her so he excused himself and left the room.

Tomoyo ordered for four small cups for the sake. She herself poured in the sake and handed it to the others. Kurogane drank it fast like it was water and courteously asked for more. Tomoyo obliged.

Sakura looked at the white liquid inside the shell-like cup. She smelled it and it smelled horribly. But she looked around and all of them were already drinking. Syaoran was about to drink when he noticed the princess hesitating. He placed down his cup and said, "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to, princess."

Sakura's expression of happiness changed. She looked stubbornly at the archeologist. "No. I'll drink it." She placed the cup in her mouth and drank it fast just as Kurogane did. Her face slowly became red as she placed her cup down and asked for more. Syaoran observed her as he drank his cup of sake.

A few more drinks later, the two princesses were drunk. Both were now sitting beside each other and it was as if they were only drinking tea. They still had their manners but that was far worse. They were talking about nonsense and making fun of society.

The two men with the princesses were also sitting beside each other and drinking it slowly. Both were drunk but were still in their senses. Kurogane was now drinking the sake in a glass. Syaoran restrained himself from asking for more sake but he kept on drinking too.

The drunken Kurogane started a conversation when he gazed upon the two princesses. "Ain't those two a picture?" He elbowed Syaoran and both of them eyed upon the princesses. "This is the first time Clow's princess got drunk, huh? I remember the first time Tomoyo-hime got drunk. I had to carry her into her room before she starts to do anything rash." He hiccupped and drank more sake.

Syaoran was concerned for Sakura. He believed this was the first time she got drunk. It was his first time too. He feared that the princess might do something unwanted. In so doing, he stood up and said, "Please do excuse me, Kurogane. I have to bring the princess into her room now." He slowly walked away and approached the princesses.

The princesses were eating various chocolates while drinking their sake and saying whatever nonsense that came into their head. As the archeologist approached, they stopped and watched for what happens next.

Syaoran took a bow to pay respect to the two and said, "Sakura-hime, I believe it's time for you to go to bed." He knew that the princess he was supposed to be watching over was too drunk to understand what he said. He waited for a favorable response from the cherry blossom of Clow.

The cherry blossom of Clow blinked and laughed loudly. "I'm not a kid anymore. And I'm having so much fun so bug off for a moment. Let me drink some more." She took another cup and drank it. Tomoyo laughed to herself and drank some more as well.

Syaoran, being the hard head that he was, insisted, "Please, hime. Let's go." He offered her his hand. She just stared at it and placed a cup of sake above it. She continued her conversation with the visiting princess. The archeologist sighed and said, "Please do pardon us, Tomoyo-hime." He suddenly carried Sakura off the floor and left the dining hall.

The whole time, Sakura was screaming. "My sake!" She exclaimed. She hit Syaoran's chest as hard as she could and continued to scream at him. "You took me away from my sake. Give it back, Syao-kun!" The racket continued until Sakura calmed down and sang a song in a drunken tune.

When they entered her room, Syaoran slowly knelt down and placed the princess on her bed but he didn't know that her arms were around his neck and wouldn't let go. Without knowing that fact, when he stood up, their lips suddenly met. Syaoran's sienna eyes grew wide when their lips met and the princess suddenly deepened their kiss as she pressed her body into him. It was rude to push her and unexpectedly, he kissed her back and slowly laid her down her bed.

The archeologist broke off their kiss. Now, it appeared like he forced her down the bed because he was over her. Then, he saw that her eyes half opened themselves. Those jade eyes were shimmering in the moon's light and another unexpected event followed.

"I love you, Syaoran." Her eyes closed and then, her hands were now over the bed as well. Syaoran stood up and left her room. He just stood there, astonished. His back leaned against the door. He touched his lips and replayed the kiss in his head. It was sweet although her mouth tasted like sake and chocolates.

The archeologist found it hard to sleep inside his room. He couldn't help but think of the kiss. Then, he realized that the princess was drunk and probably, she wouldn't even remember the kiss.

------

The visiting princess decided to retreat to her own room. However, she couldn't even walk straight if Kurogane wasn't there. Even if he was drunk, he could still walk straight and thus, he guided the princess into her room. The princess uttered a good night and closed the doors of her room.

Kurogane walked away and entered his own quarters. It was near Tomoyo's room as she requested. As he lay down on his bed, he remembered the first time Tomoyo got drunk. It was unforgettable for him. It was one of the sweetest moments in his life. The princess was kind to him and he was grateful for everything she had done for him. But still, that memory was worth having no matter what. As he replayed the scenario over his head, he sighed and fell into a deep sleep.

"_I love you, Kurogane…_" _She lightly kissed his lips before she finally fell into deep slumber. _

------

**Author's Notes:**

As promised, I present to you a Sakura-Syaoran fluff chapter. This is Chapter 5: _**Gyoza Dumplings Followed by a Bottle of Sake with a Ton of Chocolate**_ of Spring Sakura. And I do hope you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing this chapter. I wrote it for about three-four hours with the research of the food and such. And probably, this is the longest chapter so far – six pages in MS Word 2003.

I want to thank the Japan Guide website who provided the information about the Japanese food featured in this chapter. Arigatou!

I also want to thank the reviewers for Chapter 4. Once again, they are **ButtonPinCollector** and **Neko-Newee**. Thank you for your patronage! And then, I'd also appreciate reviews for this chapter. The more, the better. This is the latest chapter so far and I'm paying more attention to this fic rather to the other two I'm finishing. (Both are CCS fics.) Make my attention to this fic worth it by reviewing. Just press the "GO" button and I'd be really-really happy as a daisy!

Ameterasu is a real character in Tsubasa Chronicles. She's really the Empress of Nihon and such. I found that out in Wikipedia. And about the powers of the Sun and Moon are true as well.

So, will Sakura remember the kiss? Does Tomoyo even remember kissing Kurogane? What will Touya do about his engagement? Will he find that girl he dreams of marrying?

(About the last question, please don't hate me if you didn't like her. Haha. Spoiler. Yes, the girl's going to be real. She's a likable character but still, I don't think that she's the best dream girl for Touyal. I mean, Kaho's a good choice. However, she didn't appear in Tsubasa Chronicles yet, so gomen ne, in advance.)

So r-e-v-i-e-w!

**Standard Disclaimer Applies.**


	6. EoMHowMD

**Spring Sakura**

The celebration of Tomoyo-hime's arrival was quite a party with the involvement of Japanese food and of course, the ever-so crime-causing sake. Sake had turned the young and kind-hearted princess into a very drunk person who unknowingly kissed her poor prince. But then, there's a big question in everybody's mind. Where was the King when all that happened? That was a joke. The real question is… What happens next?

Chapter 6

Effects of Major Hangovers with Matching Denials

------

It was indeed a busy night for the Clow's King. He had welcomed the visiting princess of Nihon into his home. His best friend, the country's high priest, did an incredible job of giving his sister something to do other than go about in the castle with the poor lad who was imprisoned inside the palace walls when he would be more useful outside of it.

After having a glorious dinner and offending their guest, the King retreated into his room which was colored in dark blue hues. He lay down on his bed with a weary look on his face and closed his dark eyes. He stared at his ceiling, wondering what was happening outside his room.

He sighed and sat up. The King was now distressed. He knew he offended his guest and soon-to-be wife on purpose. It was because he hated the arrangement. He could see that the princess was kind and gentle but still, he had someone else in mind.

The King stood up and walked toward his room's balcony. He stared down at the country that was rightfully his and will be lawfully his if he could find that woman of his dreams. The country was, in his opinion, in the greatest condition it could be. It was abundant with the best things nature could offer. It was rich with culture and tradition. It was peaceful there. So why would he need someone else beside him just to rule this land of plenty?

As he sighed for one more time, he heard his door creaked open. He quickly looked behind to see who it was that was disturbing him in his moment of peace. A smile crept on his face upon seeing his best friend enter his domain.

"Touya-sama," The High Priest bowed as he slowly walked inside his Majesty's room. He silently closed the door behind him and approached the King. "Your Majesty, I believe you should apologize to Tomoyo-hime. What you said was quite rude. After all, this is her first time out of Nihon. I just hope you would be kinder to her." As he spoke those last words, he placed a light hand on the King's shoulder as a sign of support.

The King, however, felt differently from what the High Priest felt. "Why did you have to set me up with that girl?" He clenched his fists and banged them on the railing of the terrace. "I feel so bad not being able to return that kindness of hers. She's just…" His voice trailed off, not knowing the right word.

"… too nice for you?" The High Priest stood beside him as he gave his statement. The King just looked at him for one second before facing the scenery once more. The High Priest sighed before he spoke once again. "Your Majesty, I… I just want you to be perfectly fine before I… I…" His voice trailed off which caught more of the King's attention. "… leave."

The last word shocked the King most. He never thought that his best friend, trusted adviser, and loyal High Priest would leave Clow. "Why? Why are you leaving Clow?" the King asked.

"My family needs me to go back and help them in the temples. My father got sick and in so doing, they wouldn't be able to strengthen the invisible shields of Clow." But then, Yukito said, "I'll be back when my father gets better. But I don't know when that will be." The high priest lightly touched the King's hand, as a sign of assurance. "But I shall be back. So please, be kind to the Princess. At least help her with the upcoming engagement party."

Touya smiled kindly at the high priest. "I shall do that and try to get along with her, if you think it's all for the best." Hearing that, Yukito grinned and enjoyed the scenery with the King. Their hands were still together, bound by their everlasting friendship.

---

The next morning, the sun's rays made the gentle princess of Clow groan. She used her right arm to block the rays from her eyes. She slowly sat up, feeling that she ate something bad the night before and wanted to throw up. She rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain.

She slowly stood up and looked for the water basin. She walked in a zigzag pattern, knocking a few things here and there. "Thank goodness," The princess sighed as she washed her face with clean water. Somehow, that calmed her aching head. She stared at the mirror. Her eyes slowly grew wide with horror and a scream came out of her.

----

The young archeologist was also having a bad morning. He wanted to greet the sun happily; however, with the major hang over he has, he couldn't even smile at the sun. His face wore an angry scowl that can make little children cry out for their mothers.

When he heard a scream coming from the other room, he believed that the princess was finally awake and probably, she was also surprised to see the effects of drinking too much. When he woke up that morning and stared at the mirror, instead of seeing his young self, he saw somewhat an older-scarier version of him. It made him feel like some spell hit him and made him look like that scary person in the mirror. He merely sighed and tried to make most of his morning – until he heard that scream. He knew that this morning will not be a normal one.

---

The young archeologist slowly went out of his room and knocked on the princess's door. "Princess, is everything alright?" He waited for her answer but none came from the other side of the door.

Syaoran slowly opened the door and saw the princess in the clothes she wore last night, staring at the mirror with a frightened expression on her face. Syaoran stared at her face the minute she looked at him. Her face was same as always – if he ignored its redness.

The princess heard the door creaked open. She looked away from the mirror to see who her guest was. Her mouth was left wide open when she saw Syaoran's scary face. No scream came out of her. Instead, she laughed loudly. "Syao-kun's face… what happened to your face?"

Sakura laughed so much that it left Syaoran rooted to the floor. It was as if a very cold breeze passed by him and froze him right there. The princess continued to laugh so lively, her face getting redder and redder.

A moment later, the princess remembered her manners and stopped laughing. She wiped some of the tears of laughter from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Syaoran." She stifled her last-minute giggles. "I couldn't help myself."

Syaoran tried to smile at her as he said, "It is okay, Sakura-hime." Then, he looked at the princess slyly. "At least, I don't look like a ripe tomato."

Sakura stared at him for a second before she grabbed the basin. "A ripe tomato!?" She held on the basin tightly before throwing it at Syaoran. "Can a ripe tomato do this?" With all of the strength she had, she threw the basin, aiming for Syaoran's scary head.

The young man was able to dodge the basin. The basin went out of the room and a crash was heard right after. Syaoran took a peek outside and saw that the vase near his room's door was broken. "You broke one expensive vase…" But before he could look back at the princess, a pillow was hurled over him, hitting his face flat.

Syaoran slowly removed the pillow from his face as laughter surrounded the room once more. The princess was slowly regaining her old complexion from all that laughing. Then, he had an idea. He threw the pillow right back at the princess – as payback.

That stopped the princess from laughing. She looked at his serious, expressionless face. A smile slowly formed in his face. He smirked at her, causing her to get mad. She threw another pillow and hurled it with all of her might. He caught it and threw it back.

It had been like that for quite a while. A rustle of feathers were scattered on the floor. The princess was running around like a child, being chased by another child, the archeologist. It seemed like they had their second childhood a few moments ago.

"You can't make me pay back!" The princess joyfully said as she ran around. Suddenly, the archeologist caught her arm and pulled her towards him. However, Syaoran exerted too much force that Sakura was already flying towards him. It was an unlikely sight. And yet, time seemed to freeze around them.

The princess was over the archeologist. Her thin arms and legs supported her body so that she won't go crashing down his. Her eyes were wide with surprise. Her face was slowly turning red with embarrassment.

The archeologist lay on her bed, staring into her eyes. His hands were on her shoulders, also supporting her. His legs were widely separated from each other, giving her knees an open space to stand on. His face too was starting to have a reddish color.

"What the…!?" A voice from outside made time move again. The door was wide open. They never bothered closing it. The two teenagers looked at the man standing on the doorway.

The king grinned at them, although disgust and anger were obvious on his face. He wanted to say good morning to his only remaining family member. And shockingly, he heard shouts of joy and happiness from her room. He wanted to find out what was going on so he walked faster. And that unlikely sight was what he saw.

Immediately, the princess and the archeologist sat up. Both teenagers looked surprised. The girl was blushing like there's no tomorrow. The boy was thinking if the king would execute him for fraternizing with the princess, his only sister.

"Nii-chama!" Sakura started to say. She slowly stood up and hugged her brother. "Good morning, Onii-chama." The princess smiled innocently like there wasn't a male human being with her on her bed a few moments ago. She slowly let go of her brother as Syaoran stood up and knelt before the king. "Good morning, your Majesty."

Touya ignored the other and focused all of his attention to his sister. "So… what in father's name are you doing with…" He paused for a moment and glared at the archeologist before continuing his statement. "…him?"

Sakura grinned innocently, thinking of a good excuse. She knew her brother would kill the visiting princess if he knew that she was the one who made her drink. And also, he'd kill Syaoran for not stopping his sister from drinking. "Uhm… well… we…"

"Well?" Touya crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the explanation. He looked around the room. Indeed it was a mess. 'Something must've happened here,' Touya thought. 'And I don't like it.'

Syaoran stood up and approached the two members of the royal family. "With all due respect, your Majesty," They looked at him with complete curiosity. "The princess and I weren't doing anything wrong. We just had a sudden desire to play tag. We… uhm… wanted to reminisce our childhood."

Everybody became quiet after hearing that reason. It looked valid but somehow, Touya couldn't help but feel like the 'brats' were lying. But then, when he looked at the princess, smiling innocently as she nodded her little auburn head, he scratched his own head and made an angry sound. And then, he just left the room without a word.

Both teenagers sighed loudly as the King of Clow left the princess's quarters. Suddenly, they looked at each other's expiated faces. For a second, both looked so tired, so scared, and… unexpectedly funny at the same time.

The young princess started to giggle. It was as if she wanted to stop herself from laughing so hard. Then, the archeologist smiled at her. A second later, they laughed their hearts out so loudly that the King, who was already fifty feet away from the room, stopped on his tracks and clenched his fist in annoyance.

----

Author's Notes:

I. Am. So. Sorry. For. The. Late. Update.

_Gomenasai._

It's been more than two months, after all. I got caught up with school and life just got a little busy, that's all. I know it's a lame – yet valid – excuse. I don't know when I will exactly update again. I just happened to finish this chapter bit by bit in those two months.

To be honest, I wanted to make something _shounen-ai_-ish in the first part of this chapter. I tried but well… I'll let you comment on that. I have nothing against same sex relationships but I just happen to have a hard time writing that type of stories.

As for the morning fluff, isn't it just cute? (L_aughs._) I know it's really fluffy - very _kawaii_ in my opinion. I hope that part can atone for my sin of not updating in two long months.

I do hope for your review, though. I won't ask for a certain number. Any would do.

Thank you for reading Chapter 6 of Spring Sakura:

Effects of Major Hangovers with Matching Denials

-angelraine-


	7. Bx7

**Spring Sakura**

After witnessing such a rather disturbing event inside his only sister's room, the King of Clow walked away with an angry disposition. Where was the King headed?

**  
**_**Chapter 7:**_

Building Bridges between Blue Bloods before Breakfast

It was a wonderful morning in the Country of Clow. The birds sang a happy tune. The skies gave signs of the wonderful weather that's coming. The sunlight passing through the windows of the guest room greeted the purple eyed princess with delight.

The visiting princess stirred from her sleep. A yawn escaped her mouth. She rubbed her eyes like a little girl when she sat up. Sudden pain came from her head. The memories of last night's drink came flooding into her brain like some fast-forwarded film.

She lightly touched her forehead. Pain was written all over her face. But the pain didn't prevent her from walking gracefully to the basin filled with water. Her hands slowly touched the water. It was lukewarm and she sighed as she enjoyed the warmth flowing through her hands. Slowly, she lifted her hands and washed her porcelain-like face.

Her amethyst eyes slowly surveyed the room. She never had the chance to actually look at her temporary home. There were three windows as big as the room's door. The window in the middle was a doorway to a small balcony. Her bed was placed in between the dresser and the small table which was placed beside a closet that had her gowns. The ambiance was homey and she loved it.

A knock came from the door. Tomoyo replied with a chirpy "come in". The door slowly opened and her hand maid, Mikiru, came inside and bowed, as a sign of respect for the princess.

Mikiru stood up straight and walked towards the closet. "Isn't it a wonderful day, Tomoyo-hime?" She opened the door and surveyed her dresses.

"It is, Mikiru." The princess answered as she went to the balcony to look at the wonderful sight. The garden was just right below her the balcony. This caught the interest of the visiting princess for the blossoms were very pretty.

Mikiru already had two of her gowns in her arms. Mostly, those gowns were worn inside the palace. It wasn't made for the outdoors because of its delicate design and fabric. She was just about to show them to the princess but, even before she had a chance to show them, Tomoyo said, "Mikiru, please get me one of my outdoor gowns." She walked back inside and added, "I'm going to the palace gardens." The maid nodded and got her simple purple gown from the closet.

- - -

The ruler of Clow continued to march angrily around the palace. He sensed that something was going on between his sister and that brat of an archeologist under his nose. And he didn't like it.

A moment later, he got out of the palace and walked around the gardens. The sunlight bathed him with warmth, making him even angrier. It wasn't because he didn't like the heat. It just made him so. He couldn't cool off his head in that kind of weather.

He wasn't that moody when his father was still there. His kind-hearted father always guided him in everything – in making the right decisions, in enlightening the mysteries of life, and in passing the apt judgments. Clow Reed wasn't just a great father to him and his sister. He was a mentor, a teacher, a hero, and a man of many good qualities.

Touya closed his coal-colored eyes and took in a deep breath. A sigh escaped him right afterwards. He walked towards the red bridge which was over the ersatz stream flowing through the gardens. The garden was his mother's only memento to him. The late queen usually brought him there to play and sometimes, to read books aloud to him.

"Mother, Father," Touya whispered to himself, "Why did you leave me with such an arduous task?" He placed his palms over the wooden railing of the bridge. He gripped it tight. If he used a lot of force, he could've broken the railing into two.

A tall and slim figure of a girl slowly walked towards the bridge. She wanted to visit the garden to take in some fresh air. She rarely left her meditation room inside the palace in Nihon. That deprived her of the freedom to walk under the sun and rain. But she feared that she's stepping into someone's – namely the King's – boundary as she walked closer.

The King suddenly felt that he wasn't alone in the gardens anymore. He looked at his right side and saw the figure of the visiting princess standing on the foot of the red bridge. The visiting princess had a worried expression on her face. Then, he remembered what his best friend, the High Priest Yukito, asked him to do. In so doing, he smiled and bowed to the princess of Nihon as he greeted, "Good morning, Tomoyo-hime."

Upon hearing his greeting, Tomoyo curtsied. "Good morning, Touya-sama." Both of them stood up straight a second later and just… stood there. He felt anxious because he didn't know how to start a conversation with the princess. She, however, was scared of him because she didn't know what he was going to say.

The silence stayed there for another minute until the King got the courage to say her name again. "Tomoyo-hime," She looked at him with a fearful heart. "I…" _Just say it, you fool! _Touya heard his inner self say those words to him. Finally, he gathered up all of his courage and said, "I'm sorry for the way I acted last night."

Silence occurred around them once more. The chirping of the birds and the splashing sounds coming from the stream were clearly heard. Such silence could kill and it was already killing the King and the princess with worry.

It took Tomoyo-hime a second or two just to respond to Touya. "Oh, it is okay, your Majesty." She hastily answered, "I do not mind because it is indeed a fact that I'm a sorceress. I only use my powers for good." She looked away and sadly added, "However, no one's here to testify for me so I couldn't prove myself."

Touya walked towards the visiting princess and gently touched her face. Tomoyo looked towards his direction. Tears were already starting to fall from the princess's eyes. He looked at her with kindness as he wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, princess. You don't have to prove anything to me…"

Tomoyo searched for false intentions inside Touya's dark eyes. Seeing that there were none, she submitted herself into his arms. "Thank you…" Those were her only words as she leaned against his chest. Despite his lean figure, the King was indeed muscular and fit. His chest was hard yet very comfortable to the princess.

The King wrapped his arms around her waist, making her move closer to him. He whispered into the princess's ear. "If we really want this engagement to work, we have to know each other more. And I'm really interested to know you some more, Tomoyo-hime."

With those words, Tomoyo looked up. She stood up on tiptoe as she moved even closer to the King. The King was a feet and a half taller than her so it was rather difficult for her to do this. He had this wild guess on what was going to happen next yet, he took on that guess as he too leaned closer to the princess.

The kiss was short, yet passionate. Both stared into each other's eyes sweetly, as if love was really there even before they kissed. A smile formed in their faces as they let go. The King walked down from the bridge and said, "Let's go and eat breakfast, Tomoyo-hime." The visiting princess nodded to his idea and the two walked away hand-in-hand.

What the two blue bloods knew was that there were no witnesses to that sweet event. But they didn't notice the tall, dark man leaning against the post as he watched the scene with a mixture of emotions inside of him.

- - -

**Author's Note:** I am indeed sorry for this late and very short chapter. Life got chaotic. Once you step into university grounds, you'll loose the little things you do for leisure because you have a paper to write for English, a story to read for Literature, a sample Math exam to finish. It's exhausting.

To be honest, I also wrote what happened during their breakfast. OO But the title clearly said "before breakfast", right? So I decided to turn it into another chapter – probably another short chapter from me. Sorry about that.

I decided to make an outline of this story so I can finish it by next year, hopefully. The story will have around 23 chapters and an epilogue. I do hope you'll still look forward to the upcoming chapters.

I am really sorry for this delay and here, I thank you for reading the seventh chapter for Spring Sakura.

-angelraine-


	8. ATftVPSAB

**Spring Sakura**

Now that everything seemed to go well between the King and the Visiting Princess, nothing could ruin that perfect day… Wonder what will happen during breakfast?

Chapter 8:

A Task for the Visiting Princess Starting After Breakfast

----

That wonderful morning's breakfast wasn't like any other. Surprisingly, the King and the visiting princess were sitting right next to each other, talking about their passion for music. The visiting princess's body guard sat next to the stoic archeologist who noticed the rather major changes in Kurogane's mood. The young princess and the High Priest of Clow were happy to see the King talk to the princess. It was such a wonderful sight.

Food was served on the table. Various fruits were wonderfully peeled and arranged on a silver platter. Loaves of bread were present with different kinds of jam. Hot tea was served inside cups and a servant slowly placed a cup down on the table.

Sakura loved to make something out of the food during breakfast. It looked like she was some five year-old who played with her food. Everybody resented it because of the smile the princess. It was childish and naïve yet that smile could make anybody feel better about life. That smile was worth millions to the people who see it. It was as if it had some sort of mystical power behind it. One smile could heal a broken soul. And besides, it was her simple joy so why take that away from her?

That morning, Sakura took a small loaf of bread from the bread basket. It was about five inches long and two inches high. It was semi-circular in shape and light brown in color. It was also fresh from the oven. She took a small container beside the bread basket which had reddish-brown jam called mangosteen jam. She used her bread knife to spread the jam on the top of the bread. Then, she took the small container which contained peppermint jam. She cleaned her bread knife and used it to make two little dots on the bread. After the blueberry jam, she used the strawberry jam to make a smile. She happily sighed and smiled to herself at the small accomplishment.

The stoic archeologist sat across the young princess on the table. He watched her every move with sheer curiosity. As soon as she finished it, he looked at her questioningly. 'How old is she? Five?' Then, as if she could read minds, the princess answered, "Even if I'm already sixteen, I still do this because it's been a habit of mine. Silly, isn't it?" She felt – and showed – self-pity.

Hearing this being said by his sister, the King eyed Syaoran as if he was shooting daggers at him if he made Sakura shed a tear at that moment. Syaoran felt this and said, "No, not at all. I think it's actually…" He looked for the proper word but sadly, he failed. "… cute."

Sakura beamed at him. She looked at that face of his which looks apologetic. It looked so pathetic that Sakura wanted to laugh out loud. But being a princess meant that there were certain rules of etiquette she had to obey all the time. One of the rules was to never laugh out loud in front of the dining table. She controlled her laughter and decided to make her next move. "Syaoran, I give you the honor of receiving my bread face this morning. My brother is usually disgusted with my bread face and Yukito-kun has been eating this for quite some time too." She handed him the small plate where the bread face was found.

Everybody except Kurogane looked at Syaoran. Syaoran thought of this for a moment. If he did not accept the bread because of his ego and pride, the princess would be offended and the King will have his head on the plate by lunchtime. If he did accept the bread because of all the possible effects he thought of, nothing bad would happen. Just self-degradation and a bust-up ego. He decided to take option two and accept the bread from the princess like a pauper accepting food from the rich.

When he took a good look at the bread, he suddenly realized that the face on the bread was HIS face. Brown hair, green eyes – he had all those characteristics. Then, it hit him. He knew he didn't smile that often around the palace – or anywhere else. That thought made him suddenly crack a smile.

Sakura watched his every move as he take the plate from her and slid down the bread like any commoner would. Typically, if she were offered a slice of bread on somebody's plate, she'd take the plate and place it beside her own plate. Then, she'd use her knife and fork to slowly lift it up from that plate. But she knew Syaoran didn't know that and she looked at her brother who was just about to point that out.

But before the King could make a retort, the High Priest spoke. "Tomoyo-hime, you seem to be in good terms with the King this morning. Did something happen between the both of you?" All eyes looked at the newly formed couple who was acting so sweetly to each other. The King was slicing bananas for the princess.

Tomoyo heard the question despite her attempts of stopping the King from slicing bananas. She can do that on her own after all. She shyly answered the question as the King continued on his task to slice bananas. "We compromised with each other to try out this relationship for the better." Tomoyo sighed and looked at the diligent King slicing a lot of bananas.

The young princess and the High Priest just smiled and laughed in a controlled manner at the sweet gesture. The King finally looked at them with questioning eyes. "What is the matter with all of you? Is it not normal for me to slice up a banana or two?"

This time, manners were set aside. Laughter suddenly filled the room. Sakura looked like she was about to cry from the fits of laughter she was having. Yukito was laughing but caught himself so that he can point out, "Your majesty, I hate to say this but so far, you already sliced around five to six bananas."

The King wasn't aware of the number of the banana peels beside his plate and the amount of small banana slices on the Tomoyo's plate. He decided to do it like it was a task he needed to finish as soon as possible. All that came out of the King was, "Oh."

The visiting princess backed him up. "Don't worry, Touya-sama. We can always share this right and…" Tomoyo picked up her fork and got a piece of the sliced banana stuck in it. She slowly raised it and said, "This is how I am going to repay your kindness for slicing the bananas. We are sharing the pile and I'm going to feed your share to you." She smiled sweetly and motioned the King to open his mouth.

Touya didn't want to put on such a show that morning, especially not in front of his best friend and his sister. But the look on Tomoyo's face – a pleading look mixed with shame and something that said 'eat this or I'll never forgive you' type of face – was rather irresistible. He opened his mouth and ate a banana slice.

Sakura wished that someone would do what Tomoyo was doing to her brother – be sweet and lovey-dovey to her. She glanced at the boy in front of her who was suppressing his laughter. Syaoran wanted to laugh along with the others because it was indeed a funny sight. But he stopped because he knew it was rude.

Then, she couldn't help but glance at the tall, dark man sitting beside Syaoran. He looked like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. Sadness was evident in his eyes. A frown – or more of like a scowl – was present in his face. Surely, watching over a princess wasn't that hard so why did that man have such a sad yet scary face?

The laughter and romance died a few minutes later. Everybody went back to eating. But then, Yukito started another topic. "Tomoyo-hime, I am not sure if this is a tradition in your country but, as the soon-to-be queen of Clow, you have to organize your engagement party which will be held two months from now."

Tomoyo looked at Yukito inquisitively. "An engagement party?" She was one of the priestesses that kept the shield of Nihon intact. If she, the powerful priestess who protected Nihon with all of her life, were to leave her post – as she did right now, they'd need to find at least ten priestesses to replace her. Because of this, she rarely left the prayer room, even during occasions. It was hard to find ten more priestesses just to replace her so that she can please herself with the glitz and glamour of parties and social events. Her sister was the one who went to those parties. She was the one who stayed at home.

There were few times when she attended drinking parties. During those moments, somebody got killed or eaten by some monster from the other side of the barrier.

"I'm sorry, Yukito-san, I can't organize the engagement ball…" She looked down before answering. "… because I have no experience in doing so." She twiddled with her index fingers shyly. She was a princess who didn't know how to arrange a party. Most princesses knew how.

"Don't worry." Sakura piped up. "I can help you with the preparations. And…" She eyed at her brother who eyed her back. "Surely, my brother will be happier to help you with it."

Tomoyo's face brightened up and smiled at them. "Thank you very much. I'll do my best in order to make this party a success." She told them this with so much energy that also made the King enthusiastic. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead, followed by her nose, and her lips. "I'm happy to hear that, my princess. This is **our** engagement party." He placed an arm around her. All she did was smile.

The King secretly looked at the other man sitting beside Syaoran. The man looked like he's going to kill a thousand men just because of his jealousy, disgust, and anger. Touya was entertained by all this drama and he made sure that he added more to that. His facial expression and gestures gave him a message: 'She's mine now and no one, not even you, can steal her away from me.'

---

**Author's Notes:** See? I told you I wrote the breakfast part. I finished it a few hours after I posted the last chapter. My story's on the process and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Isn't it just cute? Touya's slicing bananas for Tomoyo. It was a random thought and well, it came out pretty well, in my opinion.

Please do review. I'd love to hear from my readers.

Do look forward to the next chapter called _The Preparations with a Hint of Forbidden Romance_. See you then!

**Disclaimer:** CLAMP owns Tsubasa Chronicles. Thank you.

-angelraine-


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